How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" sites

What is the fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale"?

Our researchers found this fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" while investigating suspicious social media posts. The scam page claims that users can buy Bitcoin Pepe (BPEP) coins at a reduced price. The goal is to deceive victims into exposing their digital wallets to a crypto drainer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We do not review crypto projects, please do your own research when investing money.

Federal Trade Comission (FTC) states that since the start of 2021, more than 46,000 people have reported losing over $1 billion in crypto to scams – that's about one out of every four dollars reported lost, more than any other payment method.

Fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" overview

We discovered this scam promoted on bitcoinpepe[.]icu, yet it could also be hosted on other domains. The deceptive webpage offers the chance to purchase BPEP coins at a discount. BPEP is Bitcoin Pepe – a memecoin inspired by the Pepe (PEPE) coin (based on Pepe the Frog Internet meme). BPEP development sought to merge the concept of a memecoin with the fundamentals of Bitcoin.

It must be emphasized that this presale event is fake, and it is in no way associated with the official Bitcoin Pepe website (bitcoinpepe.co) or any other existing projects, platforms, and entities.

Connecting a cryptowallet to the scam website signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, a mechanism is initiated that begins stealing funds from victims' wallets.

Some drainers can roughly estimate the value of digital assets and prioritize the theft of those that are worth the most. This activity is automated and may appear vague – thus, it can remain unnoticed for a long time.

It has to be mentioned that due to the nearly untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they cannot be reversed. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" page cannot retrieve the stolen assets.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

We have written about numerous online scams; "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards", "Claim Sign", "Origin Ether (oETH) Airdrop", and "$STARS Airdrop" are merely some of our newest articles on drainers.

Cryptocurrency-targeting scams have three primary modes of operation – utilizing draining mechanisms to siphon funds from compromised wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, or deceiving users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

While online scams are often poorly made and riddled with mistakes, they can be confidently put together and even convincingly disguised as content associated with genuine entities. Crypto scams are notorious for closely copying the design of legitimate websites.

How did I open a scam website?

This fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" webpage has been promoted by social media spam – specifically, through posts on X (more commonly known by their former names – tweets on Twitter). It is noteworthy that such posts and direct/private messages (DMs/PMs) can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real projects, companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.).

However, this scam could be endorsed by relying on other methods. Drainers are often promoted via intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" cryptowallets by promising incredible benefits. These pop-ups have even been encountered on legitimate sites that had been compromised.

Other prevalent scam promotion techniques include: websites using rogue advertising networks (redirects), different types of spam (e.g., emails, forum posts, browser notifications, SMSes, cold calls/ robocalls, etc.), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware (ads/redirects).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, adverts, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn of severe threats. Pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages are typically monetized through rogue advertising networks.

Do not allow suspicious pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or block their notification requests. Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments/links found in dubious communications.

Download only from official/verified sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, tools, features, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous software from infiltrating the system.

If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.

Appearance of the fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Bitcoin Pepe website (bitcoinpepe.co):

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" crypto drainer?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is an online scam?

Online scams are a type of Web content designed to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be lured into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, providing sensitive information, sending money to scammers, downloading/installing programs, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue for scammers. Profit is most commonly made by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., sites, software, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private information, and spreading malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" scam, can I get my money back?

No, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because they are practically untraceable. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Bitcoin Pepe Presale" website cannot recover the assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are primarily encountered via spam (e.g., social media posts, DMs/PMs, emails, browser notifications, SMSes, calls, etc.), websites employing rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads (malvertising), mistyped URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan visited sites for deceptive/malicious content. It can also block all further access to webpages that host said content.